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Community Journalism for the TX·AR·OK·LA RegionTue, 12 Dec 2017 17:49:38 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.159539073Children’s Agenda for the New Yearhttps://fourstatesnews.us/2017/12/08/childrens-agenda-new-year/
https://fourstatesnews.us/2017/12/08/childrens-agenda-new-year/#respondFri, 08 Dec 2017 19:59:52 +0000https://fourstatesnews.us/?p=19118

For those who are involved in politics and policy at the Oklahoma State Capitol, 2017 feels like the year that will never end. Special legislative sessions, elusive budget deals, and an early start to political campaigning have given this year an endless “Ground Hog Day” vibe that makes it seem like 2018 exists only in the distant future.

Nevertheless, the New Year is practically here, and it may surprise the public to learn that the bill-filing deadline for the 2018 legislative session is this Friday, December 8. Bills filed before Friday do not necessarily need to be in their detailed, final form; most are “shell bills” that simply identify a topic. In that spirit, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy has identified five priority areas we hope our lawmakers make the focal point of their legislation. They include:

Economic opportunity: Oklahoma needs to reduce its very high poverty rate. Restoring the earned income tax credit will provide immediate relief to low-income families. Protecting access to health care, especially for children, by fully funding SoonerCare should be a budgeting priority as well. This is especially important on the state level given ongoing fears of federal cuts to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Bolstering public education (starting with a teacher pay raise) will also help shore up services that low-income families rely upon.

Foster care, adoption and child welfare: Oklahoma’s “Pinnacle Plan” – the reform agenda designed to correct longstanding problems within the Department of Human Services’ child welfare division – has been successful at reducing caseloads for social workers, contributing to a safer and more stable environment for children. Severe and chronic underfunding at DHS, however, means the agency is constantly a threat to regress. To prevent that from happening, legislators must give DHS the resources it needs to hire, train and retain quality social workers.

Criminal justice reform: Oklahoma has the highest female incarceration rate in the developed world and the number two male incarceration rate in the nation. Our outdated criminal justice policies are breaking up families, creating cyclical poverty and costing taxpayers a fortune. Fines and fees have created virtual “debtors prisons,” over-stuffed and dangerous facilities that warehouse Oklahomans for non-violent crimes and separate them from their families and their jobs. We need commonsense reforms that keep families together and redirect non-violent criminals away from long stints in prison.

Race equity: Like most places in the country, children of color face disadvantages and challenges that their white peers do not. While almost two-thirds of white children come from families making more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, for instance, the same is true for just 37 percent of African American children, 36 percent of Native American children and 33 percent of Hispanic children. Legislators should examine ways of closing that race gap, focusing on improving outcomes (and funding levels) at public schools.

Early childhood development: Research continues to support the notion that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) – which include things like exposure to poverty, domestic violence or substance abuse at a young age – can be debilitating events that need specific, trauma-informed care. OICA supports providing education and health care professionals with greater training and resources regarding ACEs and Trauma Informed Care.

Many of the concepts listed above were topics of conversation at the 2017 KIDS COUNT Conference, hosted by OICA and attended by hundreds of child advocates each year. Another theme at the conference was the need to brand 2018 as “The Year of the Child,” a 365-day reminder that we should all be working towards solutions that help our youngest residents. That idea is being embraced by a growing list of organizations working to refocus our politics and public policy in a way that benefits children.

If you have ideas of your own regarding problems facing our state, please contact your state legislators this week! You can find their contact information at OICA.org under our legislative link. Also, we would appreciate it if you would post on the OICA Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OICAKidsCount/ and our Twitter account @OklaChildAdv with your solutions. If we start the positive dialogue now, we can help ensure 2018 is a productive legislative session that improves child well-being for years to come.

]]>https://fourstatesnews.us/2017/12/08/childrens-agenda-new-year/feed/019118Be a Surrogate Santa: Support OK Foster Wisheshttps://fourstatesnews.us/2017/11/30/surrogate-santa-support-ok-foster-wishes-2/
https://fourstatesnews.us/2017/11/30/surrogate-santa-support-ok-foster-wishes-2/#respondFri, 01 Dec 2017 02:58:14 +0000https://fourstatesnews.us/?p=19069There are some projects that are so fun or rewarding that they just do not seem much like work. One of those is an exciting new endeavor the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy is taking on that will help spread some holiday cheer! We were recently asked to help OK Foster Wishes and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) lead a gift drive that will ultimately deliver holiday presents to approximately 6,000 children in foster care.

OK Foster Wishes has worked closely with DHS for years to assemble “wish lists” that foster kids and parents pass on to their caseworkers. OK Foster Wishes then matches those wish lists to Oklahomans who volunteer to buy a present on those lists, or to make a monetary donation that covers the costs. DHS then works to deliver those toys to the right children and families.

This year, OICA is playing a lead role in raising toys and cash, and we are asking the public to help in one of two ways:
1. Individuals interested in making a monetary contribution can donate online at okfosterwishes.org or by calling (405) 236-5437. The suggested donation is $75, the average cost of fulfilling a list. Funds will be used to purchase a gift on that list as well as support transportation and delivery services.
2. Individuals who wish to purchase toys themselves can sign up to receive a wish-list from a foster child at okfosterwishes.org. Lists will be sent out via email starting this week. Gifts can be delivered to select drop-off points, listed at okfosterwishes.org or by calling the above number to find a location close to you.

Participating in this gift drive will help Oklahoma’s foster kids, many of whom are going through difficult periods in their lives, know they are loved and not forgotten. It also helps foster parents who might not be able to afford gifts for the children they are caring for due to tight budgets.

We are encouraging Oklahomans to give generously to make sure we put a smile on these kids’ faces this holiday season. Think back to your own childhood and how special it was to receive that one gift from a loved one that filled you with joy. For others, it might have been a different circumstance where the wish for a gift never was fulfilled. Here is your chance to make certain a child has a happy morning when they wake up to unwrap that special gift which they requested.

OICA and OK Foster Wishes are working in conjunction with the DHS Office of Community and Faith Engagement to provide gifts to children living in more than 50 counties across the state. Any gifts which come in to us through a donation not on a list will be used to fulfill last minute lists from kids, lists which might not get filled, or to support the programs in other counties.

Please join OICA and OK Foster Wishes this year to be a surrogate Santa and help make the holidays bright for these youngest Oklahomans!

]]>https://fourstatesnews.us/2017/11/30/surrogate-santa-support-ok-foster-wishes-2/feed/019069Be a Surrogate Santa: Support OK Foster Wisheshttps://fourstatesnews.us/2017/11/16/surrogate-santa-support-ok-foster-wishes/
https://fourstatesnews.us/2017/11/16/surrogate-santa-support-ok-foster-wishes/#respondFri, 17 Nov 2017 01:25:50 +0000https://fourstatesnews.us/?p=19048Oklahoma-There are some projects that are so fun or rewarding that they just do not seem much like work. One of those is an exciting new endeavor the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy is taking on that will help spread some holiday cheer! We were recently asked to help OK Foster Wishes and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) lead a gift drive that will ultimately deliver holiday presents to approximately 6,000 children in foster care.

OK Foster Wishes has worked closely with DHS for years to assemble “wish lists” that foster kids and parents pass on to their caseworkers. OK Foster Wishes then matches those wish lists to Oklahomans who volunteer to buy a present on those lists, or to make a monetary donation that covers the costs. DHS then works to deliver those toys to the right children and families.

This year, OICA is playing a lead role in raising toys and cash, and we are asking the public to help in one of two ways:
1. Individuals interested in making a monetary contribution can donate online at okfosterwishes.org or by calling (405) 236-5437. The suggested donation is $75, the average cost of fulfilling a list. Funds will be used to purchase a gift on that list as well as support transportation and delivery services.
2. Individuals who wish to purchase toys themselves can sign up to receive a wish-list from a foster child at okfosterwishes.org. Lists will be sent out via email starting this week. Gifts can be delivered to select drop-off points, listed at okfosterwishes.org or by calling the above number to find a location close to you.

Participating in this gift drive will help Oklahoma’s foster kids, many of whom are going through difficult periods in their lives, know they are loved and not forgotten. It also helps foster parents who might not be able to afford gifts for the children they are caring for due to tight budgets.

We are encouraging Oklahomans to give generously to make sure we put a smile on these kids’ faces this holiday season. Think back to your own childhood and how special it was to receive that one gift from a loved one that filled you with joy. For others, it might have been a different circumstance where the wish for a gift never was fulfilled. Here is your chance to make certain a child has a happy morning when they wake up to unwrap that special gift which they requested.

OICA and OK Foster Wishes are working in conjunction with the DHS Office of Community and Faith Engagement to provide gifts to children living in more than 50 counties across the state. Any gifts which come in to us through a donation not on a list will be used to fulfill last minute lists from kids, lists which might not get filled, or to support the programs in other counties.

Please join OICA and OK Foster Wishes this year to be a surrogate Santa and help make the holidays bright for these youngest Oklahomans!

Oklahoma – For years, bipartisan consensus has been brewing around the notion that Oklahoma locks up too many non-violent offenders. The cost of that over-incarceration has been borne by taxpayers, who are on the hook for the state’s prison costs, and families, whose homes are left broken when one parent (or both) winds up in prison for crimes often related to addiction or mental health problems.

More and more Oklahomans are now calling for criminal justice reform that emphasizes rehabilitation and treatment over lengthy prison sentences for non-violent offenders. Unfortunately, many of those reforms have hit a wall in the State Legislature. Oftentimes, that wall has been the chair of the Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee, Rep. Scott Biggs.

More than a dozen potential laws were filed earlier this year that moved smoothly through the legislative process until Biggs exercised his authority as committee chair and refused to allow them to be heard. Biggs’ actions essentially slammed the breaks on most of the state’s meaningful justice reform measures. Their derailment came despite the fact the overall criminal justice reform package had wide-ranging support from Governor Mary Fallin, her predecessor Governor Brad Henry, a broad coalition of leaders in the business community, family oriented non-profits like OICA, and the director of the state’s prison system, Joe Allbaugh.

Recently, Rep. Biggs resigned his position in the Legislature to accept an appointment with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. OICA wishes him well with this new endeavor. We also hope that House Speaker Charles McCall capitalizes on a golden opportunity to push forward important justice reforms that have thus far been delayed or upended.

It sometimes seems like Republicans and Democrats cannot agree on anything, which makes it even more startling when an issue like criminal justice reform has such widespread bipartisan support. The reason for this consensus is simple: Oklahoma’s incarceration rates have created a crisis that most people cannot deny or ignore.

Oklahoma incarcerates more women than any other state per capita (in a country that holds the top mark for female incarceration in the developed world). Equally startling is that one in ten Oklahoma kids has a parent who at some point has served time in prison. That perpetuates a cycle, as kids with incarcerated parents are six times more likely to go to prison themselves when they reach adulthood. The effect on children is why criminal justice reform was a central topic at last week’s annual KIDS COUNT forum hosted by OICA. Most of our attendees are advocates or child welfare professionals who see firsthand the benefits of keeping families together – by using alternative sentencing, counseling and prevention programs – instead of locking up moms and dads for long periods of time and leaving a child in a broken home.

The timing of Rep. Biggs’ resignation represents a perfect opportunity for a fresh start in the discussion on criminal justice reform. Oklahoma is ripe for reform and the recent passage of State Questions 780 and 781 (focusing on drug-related sentencing reform and counseling) demonstrate that most Oklahomans are tired of a system that perpetuates poverty and incarceration at great cost to taxpayers.

Whoever Speaker McCall appoints to replace Rep. Biggs as chair of the Criminal Justice and Reform Committee will determine whether criminal justice reform will move forward or be given a death sentence in the House of Representatives. OICA hopes the appointment will be someone who can build a consensus around common sense reforms that help improve opportunities for Oklahoma families. We will be ready to assist that person and the rest of the Legislature in whatever capacity we can to promote policies that benefit Oklahoma children and families.

]]>https://fourstatesnews.us/2017/11/08/leadership-change-criminal-justice-committee-offers-golden-opportunity-build-consensus/feed/019019Statewide Campaign Asks Legislators Who They Really Support: Big Tobacco or Oklahoma?https://fourstatesnews.us/2017/10/23/statewide-campaign-asks-legislators-really-support-big-tobacco-oklahoma/
https://fourstatesnews.us/2017/10/23/statewide-campaign-asks-legislators-really-support-big-tobacco-oklahoma/#respondTue, 24 Oct 2017 00:39:49 +0000https://fourstatesnews.us/?p=18949OKLAHOMA CITY, OK—Frustrated by political gridlock at the State Capitol, the Oklahoma Hospital Association (OHA) is taking to television and social media channels to make the case for a $1.50 per pack cigarette tax increase. Yesterday, a new ad – “What’s it going to take?” – began running on television stations statewide.

The campaign asks: “What’s it going to take to keep 2100 Oklahoma kids from becoming addicted to cigarettes this year, to get our legislators to stop playing politics, and to keep Big Tobacco from profiting off this inaction?”

It ends with a call to action for voters to contact their lawmakers and hold them accountable: “Let’s ask legislators who they really support: Oklahoma or Big Tobacco. Quit holding the cigarette tax hostage. Call your legislator and tell them to do the right thing: pass the cigarette tax.”

OHA President Craig Jones said the advertising campaign was a call-to-action meant to highlight the moral importance of passing a cigarette tax.

“The fact of the matter is the cigarette tax is a no-brainer,” said Jones. “We know it will save lives and keep kids from smoking. We know it will reduce health care costs in Oklahoma. It will also provide more than $215 million in annual revenue to fund health care at a time when we are on the verge of mass closures of mental health facilities, nursing homes and rural hospitals. Our state is facing a health care crisis and a moral crisis, and the cigarette tax is the obvious solution.

“This campaign calls attention to the fact that the only winner of the current stalemate and inaction is Big Tobacco,” continued Jones. “If you are an Oklahoman who needs medical care or who has a family member in a nursing home, you are losing. If you have loved ones with mental health or addiction issues, you are losing. If you’re a teenager who just picked up a pack of cigarettes for the first time, you are losing. If you’re an executive at Big Tobacco though, you are this year’s Big Winner. That’s not right, and we are asking the public to join us in asking our lawmakers to do the right thing and fix this.”

In the 2017 legislative session, a $1.50 per pack cigarette fee was passed to support smoking cessation and fund Oklahoma’s health care and mental health agencies. When that fee was struck down as unconstitutional, those agencies were left with a budget shortfall of over $200 million. As a result of that funding loss, agencies are now preparing to close mental health facilities, slash the state’s Medicaid program, close nursing homes and reduce services to the developmentally disabled, vulnerable children and elderly Oklahomans.

OHA and other health care providers continue to ask legislators to pass a constitutional $1.50 per pack cigarette tax with the required three-quarters legislative majority. If the Legislature does not act, agencies will begin dramatic cuts beginning Dec. 1.

Smoking is the number one cause of preventable death and disability in the U.S., killing approximately 1,300 Americans a day. Studies show that in Oklahoma, a $1.50 per pack increase on cigarettes would:

Prevent 16,700 lives lost due to premature smoking-related deaths.

Motivate 30,400 adult smokers who will quit within the first year of implementation.

During the Presidential election of 1960, then-Senator John F. Kennedy while campaigning in Texas, made a brief visit to the Alamo. His speech, given in front of the historic mission yielded an iconic photo. Having completed his remarks and pressed for time, JFK reportedly asked San Antonio attorney Maury Maverick, Jr. if there was an exit in the back of the Alamo, to which Maverick replied, “there is no back door, that’s why they were all heroes.”

And so it is, that the Alamo and its remarkable history have been seared into the consciousness of our national character. It is the 19th century’s version of the Spartan 300, who stood defiantly against an overwhelming Persian army. The Alamo story is, in essence, our American Thermopylae, and the lodestar and standard of courage to which our fighting men and women aspire to till this day.

From John Wayne playing Davy Crockett with his coonskin cap to William Barret Travis’s mythical line in the sand, the Alamo and its iconic story have not been forgotten.

In 2001 following the attacks of 9/11 a team of Green Berets who took part in the battle to take and secure Kandahar airfield in Afghanistan, dubbed their mud-hut fallback position “The Alamo.”

We as Americans, for nearly 200 years since it fell, have done exactly what General Sam Houston admonished his troops to do before the battle of San Jacinto.

We have in fact, Remembered the Alamo.

So why is it, that George P. Bush and the General Land Office of Texas are now asking us to “Reimagine the Alamo”?

And what does a Reimagined Alamo look like?

For starters, the project that carries a price tag in the hundreds of millions of dollars is also the harbinger of banishment for the Cenotaph monument. Commissioned in 1936, and placed in front of the Alamo, the Cenotaph bears the names of those who fought and died defending the mission and is a sacred Veterans’ memorial, but under this plan, it will be reimagined somewhere off site.

Instead of using the original native limestone, the perimeter walls will be recreated using 10-foot-high imported German glass.

All the historic 80-year-old trees in the Alamo plaza will be removed, but strangely, the west side of the plaza will be lined with new trees, along with tables, chairs, and canopies, creating a tourist-friendly setting.

Millions will be spent renovating adjacent buildings to house a multicultural museum, as well as rooftop observation decks and restaurants.

And as a bonus, tourists will also be treated to a “free speech” area, just in case your visit wouldn’t be complete without the nonsensical ravings of a pilled-up 38-year-old grad student, who still lives with his parents, spewing revisionist history.

There is a great deal more, and much of it sounds like the fever dream of a Cultural Studies major, who doesn’t truly grasp where money comes from.

Speaking of money, according to their own estimates, “Reimaging” the Alamo would cost upwards of $450,000,000!

Given the fact that my wife and I have personally helped feed and assist homeless veterans within walking distance of the Alamo, this is a staggering and obscene misappropriation of funds.

Even after adjusting for inflation, $450,000,000 would almost be able to transact Jefferson’s 1803 Louisiana Purchase twice! And would go as far as completing nearly 1/7th of the Trump border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

However, in an era of fake news, I implore the reader to visit the official website of this proposed plan and see for themselves, although it appears that a substantial amount of information has been deleted and the video links disabled. www.reimaginethealamo.org

An online search to define the word boondoggle returned the following: “work or activity that is wasteful or pointless but gives the appearance of having value—waste of money or time on unnecessary or questionable projects.”

Reading the Reimagine plan in conjunction with the above definition is enough to make a cat laugh.

What has now become the Second Battle of the Alamo is unfolding, and the battlefield is an ideological one.

The centrifugal forces of multiculturalism, globalism, political correctness, and identity politics are all bearing down on this most sacred of monuments, and the stakes are high.

So goes the Alamo, so goes America.

An article retweeted from George P. Bush’s official twitter account, claims Reimagining the Alamo, and taking the focus off of the 1836 battle, would help “promote unity and not division in our society.”

This is Orwellian nonsense.

For it is the “one moment in time” that master planner George Skarmeas of the Pennsylvania firm tasked to Reimagine the Alamo cannot “single out,” that is one of the greatest stories of unity in American history.

In the opening days of March 1836, the fortified mission known as the Alamo was surrounded and being nightly bombarded by cannon, courtesy of the Mexican army. Over 2,000 Mexican soldiers commanded by the brutal despot, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, anxiously awaited the order to attack.

Waving ominously in the breeze, in a church steeple above the town of San Antonio, flew the blood-red flag of no quarter. This flag, hoisted by Mexican infantry at the opening of the siege, was a clear message to the defenders of the Alamo.

There would be no escape, no surrender, and no mercy.

Inside the walls, the 26-year-old commander of the Alamo, Lieutenant Colonel William Barret Travis, penned his final letter to friend David Ayers. The young commander must have sensed his impending fate, as he pledged his final stand to future generations. “Take care of my little boy . . . he will have nothing but the proud recollection that he is the son of a man who died for his country.”

In the end, at least 189 defenders would lose their lives in the ensuing battle, but not without creating over 600 casualties for Santa Anna’s army.

Following the Alamo’s downfall, a separate prong of Mexican troops marched on Goliad and executed an estimated 375 prisoners. Colonel James Fannin asked only not to be shot in the face, and to be given a Christian burial. His request was cold-bloodedly denied on both counts.

The future of Texas being ruled by a dictator who usurped the Mexican Constitution of 1824 hung in the balance.

And so it came to pass, on the 21st of April, 1836, Sam Houston, mirroring Washington and Wellington, delivered to Santa Anna, the self-proclaimed “Napoleon of the West,” his own Waterloo at the battle of San Jacinto.

Unity in the face of despotic tyranny is as American as apple pie, and that is the narrative that should bind us as a people for all time.

“History,” wrote Mark Twain, “doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” and so it is not without irony that the Alamo once again finds itself at the crossroads of destiny.

Following the “Big Reveal” of the Reimagine the Alamo plan in April 2017, retired school teacher and firefighter Rick Range, frustrated by a seemingly mainstream media blackout, launched www.savethealamo.us in an attempt to educate the public of this impending debacle.

So far the push back from the Save the Alamo campaign and others, including former Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who seek to keep the historical integrity of the Alamo intact, as well as to keep the 1836 battle as the main focus, have led to some progress.

On September 23, 2017, the Texas Republican Executive Committee voted 57-1 to rebuke Commissioner Bush’s stewardship of the Alamo restoration project, including his concealment of the associated financial transactions. The Committee Resolutions call for Bush to ensure that the 1836 battle be the main focus of the project, and that all financial records be fully disclosed.

However, Mr. Range believes that the only way to be absolutely sure the plan is thrown onto the ash heap of history, will be to retire George P. Bush to civilian life. “The primary vote will be on March 6th 2018, the anniversary of the battle, and if we don’t replace George P. Bush as Land Commissioner, this plan will move forward, and the Alamo will fall twice,” says Range. But as this is an Alamo story, and history does in fact rhyme, calls for reinforcements in the form of a candidate to oppose Mr. Bush have as yet gone unanswered.

But if in fact a viable opponent emerges, and Commissioner Bush is indeed repudiated at the polls, it may very well be akin to what Mr. Bush’s father, Jeb, said regarding illegal immigration—an “act of love.”

For if Mr. Bush continues with this plan, the ominous counsel his uncle, President George W. Bush, received from Colin Powell regarding Iraq, will play out once again, “You break it, you own it.”

And the Land Commissioner’s lament will resemble the words of the poet Shelley, about a warning etched into a toppled monument by a ruler long forgotten, “Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma’s struggle to adequately fund health care services became a full-blown crisis today, with the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) announcing it will likely be forced to cut $169 million in state and federal matching funds from the Medicaid budget. The proposed cuts will take the form of a 9 percent Medicaid reimbursement rate cut to health care providers beginning December 1.

Oklahoma Hospital Association CEO Craig Jones noted that Oklahoma hospitals have already been cut by $489 million in annual funds since 2010, leading to several closures in rural areas, nine hospital bankruptcies and the elimination of key services and treatments at many health care centers.

“Today’s announcement is just devastating,” said Jones. “We aren’t just seeing an isolated failure to invest in our health care infrastructure, we are seeing the collapse of a budgeting process that is supposed to fund core government services. If we allow this to continue, we will be a sicker state, a less prosperous state and a less desirable place to live. We need state leaders to step up now and prevent this crisis.”

Nico Gomez, CEO of the Oklahoma Association of Health Care Providers, said that the proposed cuts would leave almost half of the state’s skilled nursing facilities in danger of closing.

“We are threatening to turn Oklahoma from a place where everyone is cared for with dignity and respect, no matter how vulnerable or elderly, into a place where some of our residents have nowhere to go,” said Gomez.

Gomez said the process was unfair and cruel to residents at Oklahoma’s nursing facilities.

“We are paying a real human price for political gridlock and budgeting incompetence in Oklahoma,” said Gomez. “Tonight, there will be nursing home residents wondering, ‘Will I have a home next year? Will I have the medical care I need?’ It is cruel and unfair to leave them in that position because lawmakers can’t find a way to balance the budget at the Capitol. We need action and we need permanent solutions that don’t leave people terrified of what the next budget cut will do to their lives.”

About OAHCP

The Oklahoma Association of Health Care Providers represents the interest of more than 18,000 residents and 19,000 professionals that work in Oklahoma’s long-term care facilities. The mission of OAHCP is to assist its members in providing the highest quality care to the seniors, individuals with disabilities and vulnerable Oklahomans who live in our facilities. We advocate for the enhancement of that care so that Oklahoma long-term care residents may live in the comfort and dignity they deserve. For more information please visit www.oahcp.org.

About OHA

The Oklahoma Hospital Association is the voice of hospitals in Oklahoma. Established in 1919, the OHA represents more than 135 hospitals and health systems across the state.

OHA’s primary objective is to promote the health and welfare of all Oklahomans by leading and assisting its member organizations in providing high quality, safe and valued health care services to their communities. The OHA also believes hospitals play a vital role in helping to advance the overall state of health for their patients and the public at-large.

The OHA provides a variety of membership services including representation and advocacy at the state and federal national levels, educational programs, information and data analysis, patient quality and safety resources, and industry communication. Members can also avail themselves of various insurance and group-purchasing products.

Oklahoma– At the time of writing this column, our state elected officials are still at an impasse regarding a budget agreement and a resolution to the ongoing Special Session called by Governor Mary Fallin. OICA has been active in calling for Republicans and Democrats to work together to address the $215 million budget hole created after the courts struck down an unconstitutional cigarette fee. The $215 million reduction – which balloons to over $500M when federal matching funds are included — will either be spread across state government or, if no legislative action is taken, be shouldered exclusively by three agencies that oversee health care and social service programs. Neither scenario should be acceptable to voters or to our lawmakers.

Several options for closing the budget hole have been discussed, including a (constitutional) $1.50 per pack cigarette tax hike, an increase in income taxes for high earners, and an increase in the gasoline tax. Other ideas presented have dealt with taxing “luxury” services, like tattooing and lawn care. The increase in the gross production tax has been something discussed by the public, but has gained little traction inside the Capitol among the Republican supermajority. Meanwhile, OICA has called upon our elected officials to reinstate at least a portion of the Earned Income Tax Credit which assists families struggling to make ends meet as a form of tax relief.

While informal and behind-the-scenes negotiations continue, the rank and file membership of the Legislature has been sent back home at the call of the presiding officer. Essentially, the leaders of the House and Senate called a “timeout” rather than spend roughly $30,000 per day to keep the rest of the Legislature at the Capitol.

Unfortunately, a compromise does not look imminent. While there are some other ideas that have been thrown out for resolving budget issues going forward, nothing has been advanced or publicly endorsed by both parties. OICA will keep you apprised of updates through our social media pages, including our website, Facebook and Twitter.

Sadly, funding issues that directly and negatively impact Oklahoma health care are not limited to the State Capitol. The failure of the federal government to reinstate the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, threatens to cut off health insurance for sick kids.

The program, created under a 1997 law and passed with bipartisan support at the time, provided coverage for children in families with low and moderate incomes as well as to pregnant women. It was instrumental in lowering the percentage of children who were uninsured, reported at nearly 14 percent when it started. Current numbers through KIDS COUNT Data list the uninsured rate for children at 7% for Oklahoma and 5% nationally for 2015, the last year of collected data.

CHIP was last reauthorized in 2015 and was due to be renewed by Sept. 30, 2017. This expired over the weekend, but efforts are being made to encourage Congress to act quickly before states run out of funding.

Oklahoma has seen success with CHIP, utilizing $49 million annually to assist in covering 122,000 Oklahoma children. Should our federal elected officials not act, that financial burden will fall on the state at the worst possible time.

Please use your voice as a child advocate and contact your senators and representatives and ask them to act soon to address budget issues that will impact the children of our state and nation.

]]>https://fourstatesnews.us/2017/10/04/childrens-health-services-jeopardized-state-federal-political-gridlock/feed/018864Actions and Consequences in Life and Politicshttps://fourstatesnews.us/2017/09/27/actions-consequences-life-politics/
https://fourstatesnews.us/2017/09/27/actions-consequences-life-politics/#respondThu, 28 Sep 2017 02:53:32 +0000https://fourstatesnews.us/?p=18840

Sometimes in life, the actions we take and the relationships we form have consequences that only reveal themselves years later. I was reminded of this recently when I crossed paths with an individual I first met almost 15 years ago.

When I was campaigning for my first election as a state representative in 2002, I was active in reaching out to students and asking them to get involved in the political process. Even if they couldn’t vote, these young men and women could knock doors, canvas neighborhoods and make a real impact on the election. My campaign benefitted from the work and energy of a small group of very dedicated student-activists, and they benefitted from making a meaningful connection with the political process. Their drive and passion for their community inspired me, and I like to believe my campaign inspired them as well.

I stayed in touch with this group through their high school and college days. When it came time for one of them to further his education and pursue his dream of attending medical school, I was honored that he asked me to write his letter of recommendation. Legislators are often asked to do this, but it is special when you know the person and can speak firsthand about his work ethic and qualifications. I not only wrote the letter, but made calls on his behalf to assure those receiving the letter that I truly did know this person and encouraged them to give him a chance.

Fortunately, he was accepted to the OSU Center for Health Sciences and successfully completed his studies. He took part in the school’s excellent programs supporting rural health care, eventually moving to Lawton to practice medicine. While I was proud to see him succeed, I lost touch with him until this past weekend.

On Friday, I received a call that a family member of mine was suffering a medical emergency. I met that family member at the Comanche County Memorial Hospital and we were directed to the emergency room to get immediate assistance. As we were waiting, I recognized a familiar face tending to patients: the student who had worked on my campaign and who I had wrote the letter of recommendation for. It was immensely reassuring knowing this young doctor was on duty and responsible for my family member. I knew this person would do everything in his power to help not only my family, but also every patient under his care.

Actions have consequences, and I was thankful that I took the time to encourage those high school students back then and to write that letter of recommendation. I am also thankful I voted to increase funding for OSU’s rural residency program that continues to help new doctors like my friend get experience practicing medicine in parts of the state where access to care might otherwise be a serious problem.

The Legislature returns for a special session this week to address a $215 million budget shortfall that largely impacts health care programs, including the programs that train young doctors. Oklahoma’s children will certainly be directly impacted by the success or failure of this special session and the ability of our lawmakers to find new revenue. The agencies tasked with promoting child welfare, health, and mental health and substance abuse services could all face significant cuts if our lawmakers are unable to act on important revenue raising measures, including a $1.50 per pack tax increase on cigarettes.

Oklahoma-The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) is now accepting nominations online for the Laura Choate Resilience Award. The award was created to celebrate individuals who have overcome significant childhood adversity to make a lasting contribution to the lives of young people. Nominees have exhibited bravery and demonstrated a dedication to fostering resilience in Oklahoma children. The public can submit nominations through OICA.org until September 29 at 5 PM.

This award is named for Laura Choate, who served as a plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit that helped to uncover and reform widespread abuse and neglect within the state’s juvenile justice system. The lawsuit was successful and resulted in dramatic changes to Oklahoma law and agency policy. Since then, Choate continues to advocate for improvements to the state’s child welfare and juvenile justice programs.

“Laura was never satisfied with just escaping an abusive system,” said Dorman. “She wanted to be part of a movement that shed a light on that abuse and permanently end it. Her advocacy and her willingness to share her story have helped to create a safer child welfare system and has inspired countless children and adults who have faced difficult circumstances. We are proud to name an award honoring courage, resilience and a commitment to Oklahoma children after Laura.”

The award will be presented on November 2 at the Oklahoma KIDS COUNT Conference sponsored by OICA. KIDS COUNT is the state’s premier event providing training to improve the lives of Oklahoma children and discussing issues impacting children in the state. At the conference, working groups help to create a yearly legislative agenda for OICA, tackling topics that include foster parent training, early childhood development, mental health, substance abuse, family preservation and poverty. It takes place on November 2nd at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Members of the public can register at OICA.org.